ED1/ED2 Rare Early Script Drafts
Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2020 5:28 pm
While they're buried away on the pages of BookOfTheDead.ws, I thought I would present these rare ED1/ED2 scripts as one post here. The early ED1 Book Of The Dead script came from Matthew Powell. Matthew is the director of Evil Dead Uproot; an Evil Dead documentary still in production. If you want to lend your support, he has a GoFundMe page. The three early ED2 scripts are courtesy of Scotty Spegiel, although they are available for you to read here at some personal expense. Highlight the Spoilers text to read my comparison & comment. Enjoy!
Book Of The Dead - Early Script - 1979 (33 Pages, 1.84mb - 215mm x 279mm at 300dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_book_of_the_dead_script_(1979).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This early 1979 Book Of The Dead script, has never been publicly seen before. For the most part, it has the same characters playing the same roles in a similar plot, although there are some differences to the finished film. There are also some scenes here, which are also similarly present in the final shooting script, but neither are in the film. The two biggest differences are; this script being stretched over three days, and the plot thread here involving 'Bob's Bait Gas N' Go'.
This script starts on day one with their arrival at the cabin, there are some creepy goings on through the night, but nothing more. The next day sees the group out in the forest picnicking, with Cheryl falling asleep and waking up alone in the evening, then being chased by 'The Force' back to the cabin, much like Within The Woods. Scotty leaves that night, and hasn't returned by the next evening, when the final scenes take place.
On their way to the cabin (to which, Ashly rather than Scotty is now driving), they stop at 'Bob's Bait Gas N' Go' to collect the keys for the cabin (referred to as the "Old Morrison Place up in the mountains"). The keys come with a creepy tale from Old Bob; involving his dog running off near the cabin during a hunting trip, after digging up "a bunch of dead opossum-lot's of 'em. All bloody and in pieces". The tale establishes that 'The Force' may be killing & mutilating animals. This thread runs though later into the script, when the group later find the remains of Old Bob's "torn apart" dog in the cabin's cellar, and as Cheryl is running back to the cabin, she stumbles across "...a pile of mutilated forest animals. Opossums, Squirrels, and other small creatures lie about with their eyes bulging, teeth and jaws frozen in their death scream."
The script is just about identical to the film, from the point at which Scotty returns to the cabin injured up to the end, although this script, like the shooting script, has no ending written beyond Ash simply walking out of the cabin.
The Evil Dead - Shooting Script - 1979 (68 Pages, 153kb - 210mm x 296mm at 300dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_the_evil_dead_-_shooting_script_(1979).zip
Evil Dead II - The Army Of Darkness, First Draft - 1985 (86 Pages, 3.15mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_-_the_army_of_darkness_script_(first_draft_-_1985).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This early 1985 first draft of the Evil Dead II script (the final Evil Dead II shooting script is the 1986 seventh draft), has never been publicly seen before. It very broadly has the same characters playing the same roles in a fairly similar plot, although there are some huge differences to the finished film. This script was intended to follow on directly from The Evil Dead with original 1983 footage forming a brief prologue in the opening scenes retelling the events of the first film, and some of the same actors coming back to reprise their roles, especially Linda/Betsy Baker who also appears later in the script. Given that this follows on, a number of plot elements are changed by default; Linda is now already decapitated, dead & buried, the Book Of The Dead has been burnt and destroyed, and Ash begins the script already at the cabin, still trying to escape.
Probably the biggest difference is the larger scope (and likely budget) of the script, as it's far less limited to the cabin. There's even some underwater shots! That said, there are far too many smaller differences to cover here. A fair portion of the script's exposition is told in the form of voice-overs, and the main characters are variably different; Ed seems now to be a leering pervert, Both Bobby Joe & Jake are more like criminals, and Ash's leap from coward to braggart/hero is now far more stark given this follows directly on from the original character. Raymond & Henrietta Knowby's roles are greatly expanded, both in the prologue & later in the script, and Raymond's ultimate fate is revealed. The influence of the 'Evil Force' seems to extend much wider, affecting the whole area, manifesting in various wacky ways, and while the 'Force' in the films' is depicted as more-or-less invisible, here Ash sees figures outside moving & watching him. Lastly The Army Of Darkness subtitle to the script seems a little out of place, as at the end of this version, Ash is simply left stuck endlessly floating in the 'Vortex'.
Evil Dead II - A Scream Play, Second Draft - May 2, 1985 (96 Pages, 3.27mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_-_a_scream_play_(second_draft_-_may_2,_1985).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This is an early May 2, 1985 second draft of the Evil Dead II script (the final Evil Dead II shooting script is the 1986 seventh draft), which has never been publicly seen before. It most of the same characters playing similar roles in a similar plot, and while much closer than the first draft, there are still some major differences to the completed movie.
The opening has been restructured, so that rather than being told in brief flashbacks, it plays out in full. From the Book Of The Dead being created, being found in Kan Dar, translated at the cabin, Henrietta's possession, along with a brief skip though the events of The Evil Dead (noted to take place one week later), the final burning of the book, then joining into Evil Dead II as the evil 'Force' rushes though the cabin towards Ash. One interesting aspect to this structure, is that possessed Henrietta removes pages from the book which are needed to banish the evil, hiding them from Raymond and thus saving them from being burned and allowing them to be used towards the end of the film by Annie to open the rift.
While the characters are largely similar to that of the first draft, Ed Getley has been entirely omitted, and Annie now travels alone to the cabin on a train, then rental car. There are scenes here which play out virtually word for word as the finished film, including Ash being sucked through the vortex back to 1300AD, but this draft pushes Ash's madness into a darker and less whacky area. Ghosts & visions are far more frequent and obvious. A good example is where the evil 'Force' tries to trick Ash into believing he simply murdered his friends from The Evil Dead in cold blood and the supernatural elements were entirely in his head, which would be an interesting twist.
Evil Dead II, Sixth Draft - March 5, 1986 (117 Pages, 2.67mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_(sixth_draft_-_march_5,_1986).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This is an later March 5, 1986 sixth draft of the Evil Dead II script. The notes you can read throughout the script are Scotty Spiegel's; Sam Raimi's script co-writer. A few specific scenes aside, it adheres pretty closely to the finished movie, and the changes from this draft to the final seventh draft are minimal.
Among the differences; the opening flows more directly on from The Evil Dead, rather than being re-told, and there is a new scene in which Professor Knowby's ghost appears to Ash alone in the cabin early in the script. The short scene at the airport with Ed and Annie is much longer here, and now takes place in a museum and over their journey to the cabin. The scene with Linda and Ash in the workshed isn't included, and possessed Ed fights back further after the top of his head has been chopped off. Annie stabs Jake with the dagger, but he falls at the door and Ash chases Annie into the cabin, rather than appearing inside later on, and the character of Henrietta is called Marie here.
Evil Dead II Shooting Script, Seventh Draft - May 5, 1986 (121 Pages, 224kb - 210mm x 297mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_script.zip
Book Of The Dead - Early Script - 1979 (33 Pages, 1.84mb - 215mm x 279mm at 300dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_book_of_the_dead_script_(1979).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This early 1979 Book Of The Dead script, has never been publicly seen before. For the most part, it has the same characters playing the same roles in a similar plot, although there are some differences to the finished film. There are also some scenes here, which are also similarly present in the final shooting script, but neither are in the film. The two biggest differences are; this script being stretched over three days, and the plot thread here involving 'Bob's Bait Gas N' Go'.
This script starts on day one with their arrival at the cabin, there are some creepy goings on through the night, but nothing more. The next day sees the group out in the forest picnicking, with Cheryl falling asleep and waking up alone in the evening, then being chased by 'The Force' back to the cabin, much like Within The Woods. Scotty leaves that night, and hasn't returned by the next evening, when the final scenes take place.
On their way to the cabin (to which, Ashly rather than Scotty is now driving), they stop at 'Bob's Bait Gas N' Go' to collect the keys for the cabin (referred to as the "Old Morrison Place up in the mountains"). The keys come with a creepy tale from Old Bob; involving his dog running off near the cabin during a hunting trip, after digging up "a bunch of dead opossum-lot's of 'em. All bloody and in pieces". The tale establishes that 'The Force' may be killing & mutilating animals. This thread runs though later into the script, when the group later find the remains of Old Bob's "torn apart" dog in the cabin's cellar, and as Cheryl is running back to the cabin, she stumbles across "...a pile of mutilated forest animals. Opossums, Squirrels, and other small creatures lie about with their eyes bulging, teeth and jaws frozen in their death scream."
The script is just about identical to the film, from the point at which Scotty returns to the cabin injured up to the end, although this script, like the shooting script, has no ending written beyond Ash simply walking out of the cabin.
The Evil Dead - Shooting Script - 1979 (68 Pages, 153kb - 210mm x 296mm at 300dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_the_evil_dead_-_shooting_script_(1979).zip
Evil Dead II - The Army Of Darkness, First Draft - 1985 (86 Pages, 3.15mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_-_the_army_of_darkness_script_(first_draft_-_1985).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This early 1985 first draft of the Evil Dead II script (the final Evil Dead II shooting script is the 1986 seventh draft), has never been publicly seen before. It very broadly has the same characters playing the same roles in a fairly similar plot, although there are some huge differences to the finished film. This script was intended to follow on directly from The Evil Dead with original 1983 footage forming a brief prologue in the opening scenes retelling the events of the first film, and some of the same actors coming back to reprise their roles, especially Linda/Betsy Baker who also appears later in the script. Given that this follows on, a number of plot elements are changed by default; Linda is now already decapitated, dead & buried, the Book Of The Dead has been burnt and destroyed, and Ash begins the script already at the cabin, still trying to escape.
Probably the biggest difference is the larger scope (and likely budget) of the script, as it's far less limited to the cabin. There's even some underwater shots! That said, there are far too many smaller differences to cover here. A fair portion of the script's exposition is told in the form of voice-overs, and the main characters are variably different; Ed seems now to be a leering pervert, Both Bobby Joe & Jake are more like criminals, and Ash's leap from coward to braggart/hero is now far more stark given this follows directly on from the original character. Raymond & Henrietta Knowby's roles are greatly expanded, both in the prologue & later in the script, and Raymond's ultimate fate is revealed. The influence of the 'Evil Force' seems to extend much wider, affecting the whole area, manifesting in various wacky ways, and while the 'Force' in the films' is depicted as more-or-less invisible, here Ash sees figures outside moving & watching him. Lastly The Army Of Darkness subtitle to the script seems a little out of place, as at the end of this version, Ash is simply left stuck endlessly floating in the 'Vortex'.
Evil Dead II - A Scream Play, Second Draft - May 2, 1985 (96 Pages, 3.27mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_-_a_scream_play_(second_draft_-_may_2,_1985).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This is an early May 2, 1985 second draft of the Evil Dead II script (the final Evil Dead II shooting script is the 1986 seventh draft), which has never been publicly seen before. It most of the same characters playing similar roles in a similar plot, and while much closer than the first draft, there are still some major differences to the completed movie.
The opening has been restructured, so that rather than being told in brief flashbacks, it plays out in full. From the Book Of The Dead being created, being found in Kan Dar, translated at the cabin, Henrietta's possession, along with a brief skip though the events of The Evil Dead (noted to take place one week later), the final burning of the book, then joining into Evil Dead II as the evil 'Force' rushes though the cabin towards Ash. One interesting aspect to this structure, is that possessed Henrietta removes pages from the book which are needed to banish the evil, hiding them from Raymond and thus saving them from being burned and allowing them to be used towards the end of the film by Annie to open the rift.
While the characters are largely similar to that of the first draft, Ed Getley has been entirely omitted, and Annie now travels alone to the cabin on a train, then rental car. There are scenes here which play out virtually word for word as the finished film, including Ash being sucked through the vortex back to 1300AD, but this draft pushes Ash's madness into a darker and less whacky area. Ghosts & visions are far more frequent and obvious. A good example is where the evil 'Force' tries to trick Ash into believing he simply murdered his friends from The Evil Dead in cold blood and the supernatural elements were entirely in his head, which would be an interesting twist.
Evil Dead II, Sixth Draft - March 5, 1986 (117 Pages, 2.67mb - 215mm x 279mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_(sixth_draft_-_march_5,_1986).zip
Spoiler (highlight to read) - This is an later March 5, 1986 sixth draft of the Evil Dead II script. The notes you can read throughout the script are Scotty Spiegel's; Sam Raimi's script co-writer. A few specific scenes aside, it adheres pretty closely to the finished movie, and the changes from this draft to the final seventh draft are minimal.
Among the differences; the opening flows more directly on from The Evil Dead, rather than being re-told, and there is a new scene in which Professor Knowby's ghost appears to Ash alone in the cabin early in the script. The short scene at the airport with Ed and Annie is much longer here, and now takes place in a museum and over their journey to the cabin. The scene with Linda and Ash in the workshed isn't included, and possessed Ed fights back further after the top of his head has been chopped off. Annie stabs Jake with the dagger, but he falls at the door and Ash chases Annie into the cabin, rather than appearing inside later on, and the character of Henrietta is called Marie here.
Evil Dead II Shooting Script, Seventh Draft - May 5, 1986 (121 Pages, 224kb - 210mm x 297mm at 150dpi 85% compression JPEG)
http://www.bookofthedead.ws/website/pdf/pdf_evil_dead_ii_script.zip